Guelph Storm right wing Scott KosmachukThe best development for Scott Kosmachuk is that his team's situation has helped him grow up fast.

The right wing has become an offensive leader for a very young Guelph Storm which is hanging around the fringes of the playoff race in the Ontario Hockey League's Western Conference playoff race. That has helped the 18-year-old Kosmachuk, who cops to having some issues with consistency, get on the NHL draft radar. If he can help the Storm squeak into the second season, it could do wonders for his draft stock.

"People don't expect us to do well because we're a young team, but we're a hard-working bunch and we're going to continue to develop," says Kosmachuk, who was 23rd among North American skaters in NHL Central Scouting's January midterm ranking.

The Richmond Hill, Ont., native likely falls in the range between having an outside chance at sneaking into the first round and being a more probable second-rounder. Kosmachuk can make plays at speed and is a strong north-south player. He is third in team scoring with 24 goals and 45 points in 51 games. At 5-foot-11 and 182 pounds, he's also willing to get his nose dirty; he's actually second on the Storm in penalty minutes, which is an odd distinction for a top-6 forward.

The Storm, who also have defenceman Matt Finn projected to go in the first round, are one of the more scouted OHL teams. For Kosmachuk, that means he has a chance to grow on the scouting community. He is hopeful he can block that out and focus.

"You just have to fun with it," says Kosmachuk, who played in the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game two weeks ago. "You know the scouts are going to be there every game. I try to bring a lot of energy to my game and bring a lot of consistency, put up numbers offensively and play a good all-around game."

Or, in Buzzing the Net speech, a Mike Vellucci special.

This is one of those many moments that you just have to hope pop up on YouTube at some point. In Sunday's clash between the Calgary Hitmen and the Kootenay Ice, some ticky-tack calls led to a 2-0 deficit early in the third period at home. The Hitmen were flagged for two instigator penalties and a bevy of non-calls led to Calgary coach Mike Williamson losing his cool at the start of the third period.

Hopefully his tirade didn't make him thirsty, because he was tossed for throwing two water bottles from the Hitmen bench in the direction of the officials (the game was being worked by Steve Papp and Colin Watt) during the run of the game. He was called for a bench minor and was (duh) ejected.

It's not uncommon for the pot to boil over during games featuring two good divisional opponents, but what made this game a rarity was the absurd number of penalties assessed towards the end of the second period. Calgary's Ron Trzonkowski and

Owen Sound Attack forward Cameron BraceNo. 1 star: Cameron Brace, Owen Sound Attack (OHL)

Brace's career night was covered off previously on BTN. The 18-year-old right wing became the first Owen Sound player to record a seven-point night since the franchise adopted its singular sobriquet in 1999.

He was remarkably consistent during the Attack's 12-0 pulverizing of the Peterborough Petes. Brace had at least two points in each period and at least two in each manpower situation for a Lemieux hat trick on steroids. It was the first major junior hat trick for the former member of the Junior A Huntsville (Ont.) Otters.

No. 2 star: Emerson Etem, Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)

The premier pure goal scorer in the CHL reached 50 goals in 50 games in dramatic fashion with the tiebreaking third-period goal in The Hat's 4-2 home win over the Brandon Wheat Kings. Etem also added the empty-netter, giving him an eye-popping 51 with 15 games remaining.

The feat was all the more impressive since the Tigers were short-staffed with 40-goal scorer Hunter Shinkaruk and veteran Kale Kessy out with injuries. Etem was playing the heretofore obscure Rhyse Dieno (who scored a goal) and Dylan Bredo much of the night and was still his usual dangerous self. He pinged the crossbar and a post during the first two periods before striking with 13:56 left.

"Dylan Bredo and Rhyse Dieno had on great forecheck putting pressure on them," Etem told Medicine Hat's CHAT 94.5. "I was able to chip the puck by and get open. Nothing else was working. I was figuring I'd just shoot the puck. It was one of the greatest feelings I've had."

Owen Sound Attack right wing Cameron BraceWith Valentine's Day approaching, Cameron Brace reminded us all that the most important woman in a man's life is not always a spouse or significant other.

Teams sporting pink jerseys worn as part of fundraisers for breast cancer research are now almost ubiquitous in junior hockey and other spheres of the sports world, so it's easy to become numb to the whole endeavour. (Not without reason, either, if you have seen the documentary Pink Ribbons, Inc.; please excuse the soapboxing.) Regardless, cancer is always very real to those touched by it, so it's impossible to be a cynic about the magical night that Brace had on Saturday.

Brace and and the Owen Sound Attack had a sellout crowd for their first Pink The Rink night, which ended up being a 12-0 pounding of the Peterborough Petes. All Brace, a two-way speedster who is undrafted by the NHL but who is often fun to watch, did was tie the Owen Sound record of seven points in a game. It turns out the night was of very personal significance to Brace.

From Bill Walker:

The 18-year-old Markham native used his offensive explosion on the Attack's Pink the Rink night to honour his mom Teresa, who herself is a breast-cancer survivor.

"I just wanted to play for my mom and it's a great feeling to have this happen on this night," Brace said on Saturday after scoring four times and adding three assists in Owen Sound's 12-0 shellacking of the visiting Peterborough Petes in Ontario Hockey League action.

"Cancer is something that has run through my family and everyone in the (dressing) room wrote on the board who they were playing for." (Owen Sound Sun Times)

As Attack coach Greg Ireland noted to the Sun Times, "Sometimes you go into these games and you wear the jerseys and you don't know what it means." That was not one of these times.

Belleville Bulls goaltender Malcolm SubbanMalcolm Subban is anxious to show he can carry a team for the long haul rather than be hot in spots.

The Belleville Bulls goalie, the middle of three brothers in one of Canada's most famous hockey families, is the best goaltending prospect in Canada thanks to how he's expanded on his dexterity and reflexes. However, Subban recognizes that the nagging injuries he's battled this season — an ankle in the fall and a pulled groin suffered in one of the Bulls' first post-Christmas practices — have raised questions about his durability. That's why the 18-year-old, who didn't become a goalie until he was 12,  is not so focused on the fact he leads the Ontario Hockey League in two of three major goaltending categories. Adding to his team's win count and helping the youngish Bulls (26-25-1-0) become a tough out by playoff time would mean a lot for him.

"When your team isn't faring well and you want to get back as quick as possible, that's the biggest thing, you can't rush back from your injury," Subban said Sunday prior to a blowout loss in Ottawa in which he got a mercy pull. "It doesn't mean anything if you're not getting wins, I have a real good goals-against average [2.06], but I can give up two goals and if we lose 2-1, it doesn't matter. You have to get the win. So that's what I focus on, trying to give my team a chance to win. When you're focused on your stats, you're not focusing the game.

"I know [the league-leading London Knights'] Michael Houser's doing a great job this year, he has 38 wins, but he's like sixth in average. Just got to help your team get the wins."

There is an excellent chance Subban could be the first goaltender drafted in June, quite possibly in the first round. The Rexdale, Ont., native has statistically been the best in the OHL with a 2.06 goals-against average and .935 save percentage, albeit it only 23 games due to injury. The Bulls are vastly stronger with him (16-7-0-0, .696 point percentage) than when he's been injured or rested (10-18-1-0, .362).

There was a groundswell of support in November for Subban, whose elder brother P.K. Subban won two world junior gold medals before moving on to the Montreal Canadiens, to be invited to Canada's national junior selection camp. Ultimately, older OHLers Mark Visentin and Scott Wedgewood were given the call to wear the Maple Leaf. Neither became a saviour, although the wisdom of the picks might yet be borne out. Visentin, with a 2.12 and .921 rate stats, could overtake Subban for best average and save percentage by season's end.

"It wasn't my turn yet," said Subban, whose 16-year-old brother Jordan is a rookie defenceman for Belleville. "They picked them for a reason. They're both real great goaltenders, both drafted to the NHL, I'm really high on both of them. I hope I'll have my shot next year. At the same time, there's great goaltenders coming up, I know I have to work hard. I have a late birthday, so that kind of helps me a bit. I just have to keep focusing on my game and do what I did in November and hopefully bring that into next season

Shawinigan Cataractes star defenceman Brandon GormleyWhat is worse for a team vying for first overall in the league: being docked two points on a technicality or losing your No. 1 defenceman for nearly the rest of the regular season?

Brandon Gormley, who was the most sought after talent at the QMJHL trade deadline, will be lost to the Shawinigan Cataractes for at least a month with a fractured bone in his foot. The 19-year-old who was top defenceman at the world junior championship evidently suffered that last week in a first-place showdown against the Saint John Sea Dogs during a game he later left after having his neck gashed by Sea Dogs forward Charlie Coyle's skate.

(Cue Sea Dogs supporters, in the wake of the team vacating a win for use of an ineligible player, wondering if Saint John will get docked another two points because Gormley sustained his injury against them.)

This is a huge twist, to put it mildly, in the intense two-horse race between the Cats and the Sea Dogs for home-ice advantage throughout the President's Cup

Red Deer Rebels defenceman Mathew DumbaNo. 1 star: Mathew Dumba, Red Deer Rebels (WHL)

The fact his Rebels have posted back-to-back shutout wins without dressing a full complement of defencemen speaks volumes for what Dumba is already capable of at the tender age of 17. The smooth-skating defenceman whom TSN's Bob McKenzie has fifth on his NHL draft list was the game's first star as the Rebels, whose injury list is nearly as long as that of the Edmonton Oilers (omen?), edged the Kootenay Ice 2-0 for a big road win.

Thanks to Dumba, who notched an assist, the Rebels survived despite losing their only veteran defender, Florida Panthers first-rounder Alex Petrovic, due to injury. They finished the game with four defencemen and not counting Dumba, the other three had a total of 75 games' major junior experience. That probably highlights how much Rebels coach Jesse Wallin had to lean on Dumba in order to secure two much-needed points.

Rebels goalie Deven Dubyk handled 24 shots for his second consecutive shutout. The win kept Red Deer four points out of the final playoff berth with two games in hand on eighth-place Brandon.

No. 2 star: Daulton Siwak, Prince George Cougars (WHL)

Thanks in large part to Siwak's three points, which included two third-period game-tying goals, the worst team in the West beat the worst in the East in the Dub as the Cougars upset the Edmonton Oil Kings 5-4 in overtime. Siwak, an Albertan who is no stranger to being an Oil Kings nemesis — he was with the Red Deer Rebels when they ousted Edmonton in the playoffs last season — scored a breakaway goal with 9:48 left that forced overtime. It was Siwak's best night for the Cougars since he came over in a trade for centre Charles Inglis six weeks ago. The 18-year-old Siwak and rookie Alex Forsberg also collaborated on a pair of goals.

Cape Breton Screaming Eagles right wing William CarrierThe Cape Breton Screaming Eagles may not be having a stellar season this year but there is definitely reason for optimism when training camps rolls around in September.

Cape Breton decided to be a seller during the QMJHL's final trading period with 10 separate deals being faxed to the league's head office which made the team significantly younger. The hope for the Screaming Eagles is it sets up them up to be a force in the Maritimes Division. Cape Breton moved several established players and NHL draft picks as part of their youth movement, including Montreal Canadiens pick Morgan Ellis and Florida Panthers selection Logan Shaw.

One player that was highly sought after but did not budge from Cape Breton is forward William Carrier. The 17-year-old winger from Pierrefonds, Que., is considered to be a major piece in the Screaming Eagles' puzzle for the next couple of seasons. The 6-foot, 205-pounder, who is not eligible for the NHL draft until 2013, is second in team scoring with 21 goals and 54 points in 51 games and has cracked the top 30 in league scoring.

"Willie has really taken ownership of his game this season," Cape Breton head coach Ron Choules says. "Once he realized that he needed to work a little harder in practice it started to come together for him because he has a tremendous amount of skill."

On Thursday in Gatineau, Carrier chipped in with a three-goal performance and was named the game's first star despite the Screaming Eagles losing the match 6-5. It's rare to see a visiting player get that honour when his team loses.